Pager actuated device disabling system and method of using same

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus are disclosed in which a pocket pager or other data transmission device of conventional design is used to disable remotely the operation of an electrical device or the starting sequence of a motor vehicle. More precisely, the radio device is connected to pull open a latching relay in the power circuit, like the ignition circuit of the vehcle or the electric power connection and once the pager receives its code all further re-starts are disabled. The vehicle or device thus remains inoperative, and the relay then remains latched open until reset by a concealed push-to-close momentary switch. Alternatively, a second code combination may be transmitted to reset the relay. In application, the signal to the pager will first be preceded by a telephone call from the leasing, financing or rental agency to a telephone number designated by the user, and if the response to this phone call is unsatisfactory only then is the pager disabling sequence effected. In this manner the user is first warned, and then the vehicle or article is disabled only upon such a warning.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 08/682,228 filed Jul. 25, 1996, and now U.S. Pat. No.5,819,869. Applicant claims priority to the foregoing filing date forall matter in this application that is common therewith.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to remote security systems, and moreparticularly to remotely activated disabling systems for prevention ofthe continued unauthorised use of a secured device.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The rising incidence of motor vehicle theft has resulted in varioustheft prevention devices which in one way or another increase the riskand thus reduce the efficacy of the theft. Most frequently the mechanismof theft detection is the mechanism of choice, and various alarm systemshave been devised in the past which detect unauthorised intrusion anduse. Along with the evolution of alarm systems a parallel developmenthas been directed at mechanisms that disable the vehicle upon thedetection of theft. These, for example, include variously concealedshut-off devices that disable a motor vehicle.

In typical form the vehicle is disabled after a period of unauthoriseduse, more or less automatically, and the possibility of a strandedvehicle in the center of a thoroughfare is an ancillary concern of allsuch disabling devices. Theft of a vehicle, however, is not the solefocus of concern. Rental agencies, leasing agencies, and sometimes thefinancing enterprise each have a direct interest in the continued use ofthe leased article, particularly when the various term provisions of theleasing, financing, or rental agreement have expired. In thesecircumstances the harsh consequences of automatic uncontrolledshut-down, and the consequent risks to the users are not desired, andsome means for attenuation of the shut-down sequence are sought.

This attenuated method is particularly significant in settings that donot amount to an emergency. Unlike the exigency associated with vehicletheft, device shut-down for contractual reasons does not representsufficient cause for any risk enhancement. The preference, therefore, isto acquire control over the article through judicial process, or byreposession, and not by methods justifying the risks associated withcrime. Thus while the prior art is replete with devices that becomeeffective following a carjacking, these techniques are not correct in acivil setting.

In the past the incidence of criminal taking has been the principalfocus of attention in the art. Thus various interrogation and responsetechniques have been devised in systems directed to automaticallycontrol the criminal use of a vehicle. Examples of such prior artsystems may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,201 issued on Dec. 6, 1994to Inubushi; U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,515 issued on Feb. 29, 1972 toVodehnal; U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,567 issued on Jul. 6, 1993 to Tomlinson;U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,527 issued on Mar. 8, 1994 to Sutton et al; U.S.Pat. No. 5,382,948 issued on Jan. 17, 1995 to Richmond; U.S. Pat. No.5,287,006 issued on Feb. 15, 1994 to Carlo et al; and others. Each ofthe foregoing, while suitable for the purposes intended, either requirestwo way communication with the vehicle, or is rendered operative in anautomatic mode. In both instances the device is simply disabled atwhatever operating mode that is then effected.

The attenuated shut-down, necessary for a safe device disablement in acivl setting, is not attended in the foregoing prior art and it is sucha technique accomodating this particular objective that is disclosedherein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is the general purpose and object of the presentinvention to provide a remotely actuated vehicle disabling systemconformed to prevent the next vehicle starting sequence following thereceipt of a predetermined signal.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a pager actuated circuitinterrupting system for preventing the restart of a motor vehiclefollowing receipt of a predetermined code by the pager.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a mechanism for remotelypreventing the operation of secured device.

Yet other objects of the invention are to provide a pager actuatedinterlock sequence that disables the operation of a remote secureddevice with prior interrogation of the user.

Briefly, these and other objects are accomplished within the presentinvention by way of a pager circuit connected to pull open a latchingrelay in the starting signal of a motor vehicle. Thus once pulled openno further starting signal is available for the next starting attempt.Since a vehicle is normally parked away from traffic, this signaldisruption presents the lowest risks to the occupant.

In the first example the page indicator outputs of the pager areconnected to a power supply of sufficient power level to excite thesolenoid of a latching relay connected in the starting signal circuit ofa conventional motor vehicle. In the second example the page indicatoroutputs are tied directly across the relay solenoid, the selection ofthe first or second example being determined by the power levels of thepager and the power requirements of the relay coil.

In either form the correct signal sequence selecting the pager providesthe signaling mechanism, and once the pager is selected by thetransmitted signal code the relay is latched. No further startingsequence can thereafter be effected until the relay is unlatched. Byconcealing the unlatching function, the user is then compelled tocontact the rental or leasing enterprise, thus forcing the desireddiscourse.

Those in the art will appreciate that the same steps may be effected todisrupt the re-start function of other electrically powered devices.Thus a pager enabled latching relay may be concealed in the circuit of aleased or financed article, and once enabled, may foreclose its furtherrestarts.

In practice, the leasing, rental, or financing entity would firstcommunicate with the operator of the vehicle or device by conventionaltelephonic means, and only after such a warning would the disablingsignal be issued. The signaled party would thus be apprised of both theimminency of the subsequent step, and its implementation. Thusprotracted and costly court disputes would be avoided, allowing forlower financing or leasing rates. Of course proper attention to thenotification and consent aspects is required, a matter of good businesspractice.

While the above primary functions are thus effectively achieved, thesame mechanisms may be used following the theft of the device or a carjacking. In this manner the well developed attributes obtainable incommercial pagers are useful in a system that discourages rental orleasing excesses, and also provides an emergency response if the deviceis stolen.

This same arrangement may be implemented with a flip-flop toggle,whereby the second pager phonecall resets the operation of the device.Thus either access to a concealed switch or a second enabling phone callto the pager reset the operation of the system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of the first example of theinvention herein;

FIG. 2 is a process diagram illustrating the steps effected in thecourse of use of the invention herein;

FIG. 3 is yet another diagrammatic illustration of a second example ofthe invention herein;

FIG. 4 is a further diagrammatic illustration exemplifying yet anothervariation of the of the inventive system;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of a further alternative of theinventive system conformed to operate in response to radio frquencytransmitted data combinations; and

FIG. 6 is a further diagrammatic illustration of the inventive systemuseful in securing an electrically powered device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIGS. 1-3 the inventive vehicle disabling system, generallydesignated by the numeral 10, is rendered operative in conjunction witha conventional starter solenoid SS of a motor vehicle. In commonpractice solenoid SS connects between the vehicle battery B and thestarter S in response to a pull-in coil PC excited by the start positionof the vehicle key VK. Thus a starting signal lead SL is available formodification directly at the solenoid SS, and it is this lead that isutilised in the invention herein.

More precisely, a latching relay 15 is connected into the signal lead SLforming a bridging connection across the primary contacts 16. Asecondary set of contacts 17 is operated in parallel by the relay coil18 to latch the relay open by a secondary circuit from battery B thatincludes a concealed switch 19. The other side of switch 19 is thenconnected to the power supply 21 conformed to replace the batteries 22of a pocket pager 25.

Pager 25 may be one of several commercial pagers characterised by areceiver with an antenna 26, a decoder circuit 27, and a buzzer or othersignaling mechanism 28. Pagers of this form are widely accepted as anotification device to alert the user of incoming calls to his or heroffice and may include additional features like a numerical display (notshown), and memory (not shown), which in the use herein are notrequired. By conventional practice buzzer 28 is an electromechanicaldevice, and thus entails current draws through coils or vibrators atlevels comparable to those necessary for the excitation of a relay coil.These attributes are utilised to advantage herein by opening the circuitconnection 28a and 28b to the buzzer 28 and reconnecting same across thecoil 18. In this manner the signal acquisition by the pager 25 excitesthe coil to open the switching connection across terminals 16 and toclose the latching connections 17, latching the relay. This then opensthe lead SL, disabling all further starting attempts until the concealedswitch 19, maintaining the latched state, is opened.

The signal transmission to pager 25 is typically at microwavefrequencies, with various error detection codes imbedded in the signal.As result a very positive signal combination is used to communicate withthe pager limiting the incidence of erroneous signals. Even at these lowerror rates the event count of intended disabling signals may be furtherreduced by a sequence of steps illustrated in FIG. 2. More specifically,prior to issuing the pager signal S25 the rental or leasingestablishment first issues a telephone call to the telephone numberlisted in the agreement, shown as step 101, and if a proper response isobtained, shown as the branching step 102, then no further action istaken. If, however, no response is obtained, or the response is improperthen the next step in the sequence branches to step 103 directing thesignal transmission of the pager signal S25. The inventive disablingsystem 10 then automatically sequences to step 104, opening the signallead SL to prevent all future attempts at starting the vehicle. Thisstate subsists until step 105 in which the concealed switch 19 isopened, unlatching relay 15.

In the foregoing example a pager 25 having sufficient power to pull inrelay 15 is illustrated. For those commercial pager structures lackingthe necessary power reference should be made to the structureillustrated in FIG. 3 in which like numbered parts function in themanner previously described. In this illustration the buzzer leads 28aand 28b are connected to a driver 31 operating at the power levelsavailable from battery B. The driver then provides the primary signal tocoil 18, with the secondary signal path across switch 19 made directlyto battery B. In this form all the signal paths exterior of the pagerare at the battery levels of the vehicle, limiting all incidents ofunintentional shorting or cross-connection.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, like numbered parts functioning in likemanner, a flip-flop 60 may be inserted in the circuit between decoder 27and the coil 18, conformed in a toggle connection. Thus the first pagersignal latches relay 15, which is then unlatched by the second pagerphone call. This interconnection may be in parallel with switch 19, ormay supplant its function.

It should be noted that pager 25 exemplifies well known electricalfunctions, which recently have been expanded to include transmission ofcode once communication has been established. This general character ofthe device, therefore, is now more in the nature of a radio frequencydata link where various data combinations can be decoded once received.In this more general form discrete code sequences can be transmitted,one to disable the motor vehicle in the manner described above, and thesecond to reset its operation once the user complies with the desiredreturn phone call or other response. This function of a data ling isillustrated in FIG. 5 wherein like numbered parts operate in a likemanner to that previously set out.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, a data link assembly 125 includes the receiverstage 26, and the decoder 27, decoding the data sequence impressed onthe radio signal S25. If the code combination received correctlycombines to the disabling code, a TTL stage 128 produces the desiredoutput DO that then drives the base of a transistor 131 through avoltage division determined by resistors 132 and 133. Thus thetransistor 131, connected in an emitter-follower circuit, is then drivento conduct an opposed bias diode 134 that at its other side connects tobattery B.

The potential across diode 134 then excites a relay coil 118 of a relay115, pulling open a normally closed contact 116 in circuit between theignition signal SL and the solenoid winding PC. The starting sequence tothe starter S is thus disabled.

One will note that this implementation includes a direct connectionbetween the power supply 21 and the data link assembly 125. Thus oncethe disabling code combination is received, it remains latched in thedecoder 27 until a different code sequence is transmitted on signal S25.This required second code sequence can therefore be issued remotely,without the need for local manipulation of hidden reset switches likeswitch 19 described above. This latter example, therefore, allows for awholly localised central control over the disablement and the subsequentenablement of the vehicle.

The same functions may be also applied to electrically powered devicesother than automobiles. Thus as shown in FIG. 6, wherein like numberedparts function in a like manner, an electrical meter EM on a utilitygrid UG may be provided with an AC latching relay 315 enabled by pager25 by way of the toggle flip-flop 60.

In a manner similar to that described in FIG. 4 the first transmissionto the pager then shuts off the power circuit PC serviced by the meterEM, until appropriate responses occur from the user. Of course, thepower supply 321, in this instance, is an AC to DC converting circuit,of conventional form, and a driver 331 may be provided on the Q outputof flip-flop 60 to raise the power levels for effective operation. Thusthis last sequence is fully analogous to the steps taken by a powercompany when the user payments are in arrears, except with the remotepaging convenience. Of course, the relay 315, pager 25, the flip-flop60, the functions of decoder 27, along with other function describedabove, may be included in the sealed cavity of meter EM. The resultingensemble is therefore no more susceptible to unauthorised intrusion asis the meter mechanism of today.

Obviously, many variations and modifications may be made to theforegoing teachings without departing from the spirit of the presentinvention. It is therefore intended that the scope of the instantinvention be determined solely by the claims appended hereto.

I claim:
 1. In an electrically powered device characterised by aconnection to a public grid and a mechanism for selectively effectingsaid connection, the improvement comprising:a pager connected forelectrical excitation to said grid including a receiver conformed toreceive electromagnetic signals of a preselected signal combination andoutput means for generating an audio signal in response to the receiptof said signal combination; a latching relay connected between said gridand to said output means for opening said connection upon the receipt ofsaid signal combination; and restoration means connected to saidlatching relay for closing said connection upon the repeated receipt ofsaid signal combination.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising:a power supply connected between said grid and said saidpager, for converting the electrical power output from said grid to thepower levels of said pager.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 2,wherein:said restoration means includes a toggle connected in circuitbetween said pager and said latching relay.
 4. Apparatus according toclaim 3, wherein:said toggle includes a flip-flop circuit.
 5. A methodfor remotely disconnecting an electrically powered device from anelectrical grid, comprising the steps of:installing a pager between saiddevice and said grid, said pager effecting the unlatching of a ralayproviding a connection between said device and said grid; placing atelephone call to the telephone facility of the device user; andtransmitting a coded electromagnetic signal to said pager to effect saidunlatching of said relay upon the receipt of a negative response to saidplacement of said telephone call.
 6. A method according to claim 5,comprising the further step of:providing a secondary signal to relatchand close said relay.
 7. A method according to claim 6, wherein:saidstep of installing a pager includes the further step of connecting saidlatching relay thereto.
 8. A method according to claim 7, comprising thefurther step of:providing a secondary signal to said latching relay torelatch and close said connection.